NEC claims it is giving the environment a break, but its new system for recycling obsolete computers may be a public-relations white elephant, priced out of the reach of US electronics recyclers.
The EcoSeparation System heats up old circuit boards, pops off reusable components such as CPUs, then crushes what's left into powder containing raw materials such as glass and copper. Launched Wednesday in Japan, the complete system will cost US$1 million. But US computer recycling experts have a hard time finding an economic justification for the product.
"I'm surprised at the announcement," says Jeff Simich of San Jose-based Fox Electronics. "The price for memory is at an all-time low, and used components are looked down upon, especially in Japan, where NEC is based."
Another California-based computer recycler said its industry already does most of what the EcoSeparator does, far more cheaply. Common low-tech "toasters" already heat chips off circuit boards without harming them. Stripped circuit boards are melted down in copper smelters.
"None of my clients would pay a million dollars," said Kelly Corbet, a consultant who helps Silicon Valley firms come up with recycling strategies.
NEC is targeting the machine at Northern European engineering and high-tech companies, such as hardware manufacturer Siemens Nixdorf, that operate under stringent environmental laws. Germany, for example, requires a "take-back program" that demands manufacturers dispose of their old equipment responsibly.
"We're not saying anybody's going to make money from these machines," admits Aston Bridgman, NEC's spokesman.
"The point of the new product is the environment," Bridgman said. "A lot more companies are interested in appearing more ecologically sound, as well as abiding to new ecological legislation." Bridgman pointed out that manufacturers in the US may want to brace for future eco-legislation from Washington.
"Not likely," counters Corbet. "It won't happen [in the US] for a while, and it won't be for a million dollars."
